A new survey conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), in collaboration with YouGov and Datapraxis, highlights how British citizens now favor the European Union over closer ties with Donald Trump's United States. Surprisingly, the findings indicate that even a majority of Britons who supported Brexit now favor rejoining the EU, largely driven by the desire for unrestricted movement across member states.

As a reminder, the United Kingdom officially left the EU, a process referred to as "Brexit" (a combination of "Britain" and "Exit"), on January 31, 2020, at 11:00 PM. This marked the end of 47 years of UK membership in European institutions. The decision to leave the EU was made in a referendum held on June 23, 2016, in which 51.9% voted in favor of leaving, compared to 48.1% who wished to remain.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump's election as US president have fundamentally altered the context of EU-UK relations," stated the ECFR report. "There is an extraordinary consensus among both Britons and Europeans that it is time to reassess the severed ties of 2020."

The ECFR survey, conducted with over 9,000 participants from the UK and the five most populous EU countries—Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland—in the weeks following the Republican candidate's victory in the US presidential election, revealed widespread enthusiasm in Britain for rekindling ties with Europe.

Why the change? One likely reason lies in the harsh rhetoric of the newly elected US president toward the EU throughout his campaign. "The EU looks so cute, so charming. All these beautiful European villages coming together… right? No, because in reality, they're robbing us," Trump remarked in one of his well-known speeches in Pennsylvania. "They don't buy our cars or our agricultural products—they've become a little China."

In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reminded the Republican candidate that the US and the EU are "more than just allies." Following his sweeping victory, she tweeted: "We are bound by a true partnership for the benefit of our people—let's work together to advance a stronger transatlantic agenda than ever."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also addressed Trump's victory, calling it a "historic win." On his X account, Starmer wrote that he is prepared to work "side by side" with the Trump administration to defend shared values of "freedom, democracy, and entrepreneurship." Starmer also emphasized the "special relationship" between London and Washington, expressing hope that it would "continue to thrive for many years."

However, it seems that sentiments of cautious celebration have seeped into the British public, prompting many to prefer closer ties with Europe over alignment with the US. Notably, the survey's most striking finding centers on the strong desire of most Britons for unfettered movement within the EU and access to a unified market governed by single regulations. The numbers leave little doubt: the British public wants change.

When asked by the European Council on Foreign Relations, "Would you like British citizens to be able to move freely throughout Europe, and for European citizens to move freely in the UK?" 68% of Britons responded positively, 14% were undecided, and 18% opposed freedom of movement. These figures starkly contrast with the results of the 2016 referendum.

Many Europeans shared the sentiments of their British counterparts: 45% of Germans expressed a desire for closer ties with the UK, as did 44% of Poles, 41% of Spaniards, 40% of Italians, and 34% of French respondents. While it is well-known that surveys do not change reality—and often fail to fully reflect it—it is difficult to ignore the possibility that the British government might reconsider the balance of power on the continent. Perhaps even beyond.

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Nigel Farage, the prominent Eurosceptic figure who played a pivotal role in the UK's decision to leave the European Union, had a milkshake thrown at him as he officially entered the race for a parliamentary seat. On Tuesday, June 4th, Farage announced his candidacy in the seaside constituency of Clacton, vowing to be a voice for those who feel neglected and overlooked, but the event was disrupted when he was struck by a milkshake hurled by a protestor.

Initially, the 60-year-old politician had stated that he would not contest the July 4th general election, as he intended to assist Donald Trump in his re-election bid in the United States later this year. However, in a surprising reversal on Monday, June 3rd, Farage revealed his intention to run for office and assumed leadership of the right-wing Reform UK party from Richard Tice.

During his speech in Clacton-on-Sea on Tuesday, greeted by enthusiastic chants of "we love you, Nigel," Farage declared that the governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is "finished." He positioned Reform UK as the main opposition to the Labour Party.

Despite having unsuccessfully contested parliamentary elections on seven previous occasions, Farage remains an influential figure in British politics, consistently pressuring successive prime ministers to adopt tougher stances on issues such as the EU and immigration.

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Britain denounced France's seizure of a British boat in French waters and warned Paris against further retaliation on Thursday, in a rapidly deteriorating row over post-Brexit fishing rights.

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The Cornelis Gert Jan, a scallop dredger, was escorted to the northern port of Le Havre overnight after its crew failed to prove it was allowed to fish in French territorial waters, French Seas Minister Annick Girardin said. A second British vessel was given a verbal warning.

The action signaled France's determination not to back down in the row, a day after listing potential sanctions against Britain if there is no progress in talks.

"It's not war, but it is a fight," Girardin told RTL radio.

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The comprehensive trade deal between the UK and the EU that redefines their relationship kicked in on Friday, four-and-a-half years after the British people voted to leave the bloc and almost a year after the kingdom formally stopped being a member

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a central figure for the campaign to leave the EU, said it was an "amazing moment" for a "global Britain" to be free of obligations to Europe.

"We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it," he added.

Post-Brexit Britain, he vowed, would be an "open, generous, outward-looking, internationalist and free-trading" country.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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While exit polls published immediately after the polls closed Thursday show the Conservatives winning 368 seats, with a majority of 86 MPs – 50 more than the party won in the 2017 election, when Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, was forced to establish a minority government that was unable to move ahead with Brexit – the party won an actual 320 seats, according to the official results published early Friday.

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Boris Johnson said, "Thank you to everyone across our great country who voted, who volunteered, who stood as candidates. We live in the greatest democracy in the world."

"I think this will turn out to be a historic election that gives us now, in this new government, the chance to respect the democratic will of the British people," Johnson said after winning his seat of Uxbridge.

He said the Conservatives appeared to have won "a powerful new mandate to get Brexit done."

Meanwhile, Britain's Jewish community appears to be breathing a sigh of relief. Labour, which under current leader Jeremy Corbyn has been awash in accusations that it has failed to investigate or combat the swell in anti-Semitism seen among its MPs and activists, won only 194 seats, 67 fewer than it had in the most recent Parliament and the lowest number of seats for Labour since 1935.

"This is obviously a very disappointing night for the Labour Party with the result that we've got," Corbyn said after being reelected in his own north London electoral seat. He said he would not lead the party in any future elections.

Weary Labour candidates taking in the scale of their defeat said his leadership had played a major role in the defeat.

A member of the Labour shadow government called the election results catastrophic for the party and for Britain as a whole.

It appears that the third-largest party in Parliament will be the Scottish National Party, which won 44 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats, who won a mere 13. The Greens secured one seat, and independent candidates won 22.

According to the exit polls, some 5.4% of Labour voters cast ballots for the Conservative Party on Thursday, the largest-ever migration across that party line.

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"It is a very serious business when the chief rabbi speaks as he does," said after British PM after Ephraim Mirvis warns that opposition leader had allowed "poison" of anti-Semitism to take root.

Britain's most senior Jewish religious leader stepped into Britain's election fray Monday, saying the country's main opposition leader had allowed the "poison" of anti-Semitism to take root in his party.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, spiritual leader of the UK's Orthodox Jews, said that "the very soul of our nation is at stake" in the Dec. 12 election. Writing in The Times of London newspaper, Mirvis said Corbyn and his allies had failed to stop anti-Jewish prejudice and "hounded" those who tried to challenge it.

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Labour's election campaign has been dogged by recurring allegations that Corbyn – a longtime champion of the Palestinians – has allowed anti-Jewish prejudice to fester in the left-of-center party.

Corbyn has called anti-Semitism "a poison and an evil in our society" and says he is working to root it out of the party.

But, Mirvis said, "The way in which the leadership has dealt with anti-Jewish racism is incompatible with the British values of which we are so proud."

"It is not my place to tell any person how they should vote. ... I simply pose the question: What will the result of this election say about the moral compass of our country?" he wrote.

It is rare for a religious leader to publicly call out the leader of a British political party.

The governing Conservatives, meanwhile, are defending an election platform that is light on policy proposals, as they try to avoid squandering the party's poll lead before the nation votes in less than three weeks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party is campaigning heavily on a promise to "get Brexit done" by taking Britain out of the European Union on the currently scheduled date of Jan. 31, if it wins the election next month. The phrase "get Brexit done" appears 22 times in the party's 59-page election manifesto.

"When we get Brexit done, believe me we will unleash a tide of investment into this country," Johnson told supporters as he campaigned Monday in north Wales.

Despite the bravado, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan conceded that leaving the bloc would only be "the first big step" to completing Brexit, because it would be followed by negotiations on a new trade relationship with the bloc.

All 650 seats in the House of Commons are up for grabs in the election, which is taking place more than two years early. Johnson sought the early vote in hopes of winning a majority and breaking Britain's political impasse over Brexit.

The Conservatives lead Labour in opinion polls, and the governing party is taking a cautious approach in the remaining 17 days of the campaign.

On Sunday, the Conservatives published an election manifesto – the bedrock of British parties' election campaigns – that is light on plans for the country beyond Brexit.

It includes voter-friendly promises to fill potholes and scrap some hospital parking charges, and commits to a modest increase in public spending, though far less than that proposed by Labour.

Labour has set out plans for a radical expansion of public spending and state ownership if it wins the election.

The Conservatives also promised to increase the number of nurses working in the state-funded health service by 50,000 within six years – though part of that increase is set to be achieved by reducing attrition rather than training and hiring new medics.

Notably, the Conservative manifesto does not include a proposal for how to fund the increasing cost of social care for the elderly and others who need it, despite Johnson's earlier promises that the Conservatives would grapple with the difficult issue.

Many Conservatives believe a botched social-care proposal in the party's 2017 election platform – dubbed a "dementia tax" by opponents – cost the party its majority in Parliament and led to more than two years of political deadlock over the terms of the country's departure from the EU.

Paul Johnson of economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies said the Conservative promises would be considered modest if they were put forward in an annual budget.

"As a blueprint for five years in government, the lack of significant policy action is remarkable," he said.

Britain's political parties are under scrutiny for their use of social media, one of the key election battlegrounds. The Conservatives have been especially criticized for rebranding their press office Twitter account "factcheckUK" during a televised debate.

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, called the deceit "brazen."

Berners-Lee, who has warned against the spread of online misinformation, also said it would be better if there were "no targeted political advertising during the election season" in Britain and the US.

Johnson has said that if he wins the election he will begin the process of getting his Brexit deal through Parliament before Christmas, so that British families could "enjoy their festive-season free from the seemingly unending Brexit box-set drama."

Lawmakers approved the deal in principle last month, but Johnson withdrew it after they asked for more time to scrutinize it.

The government said Monday that lawmakers will return to Parliament on Dec. 17. If Johnson is reelected, the government will introduce its legislative agenda two days later in a speech delivered by Queen Elizabeth II.

If Labour wins or there is an uncertain outcome, the queen's speech is unlikely to be held until January, when Britain will – once again – be facing a looming Brexit deadline.

The UK is due to leave the bloc on Jan. 31, after failing to meet two previous departure dates amid wrangling in Parliament.

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"Looking forward to working closely together, both in facing our common challenges and seizing the opportunities ahead," Netanyahu's tweet read. 

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"Mazal Tov to Boris Johnson," Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Johnson and his team to build on the existing strong relationship between the UK and Israel," Katz tweeted.

Chairman of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog called Johnson "a true friend of Israel."

"I trust you will continue working to make the Jewish community feel safe in the UK in these challenging times," Herzog added in his tweet.

President Reuven Rivlin tweeted: "I am confident that under your leadership the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries will go from strength to strength. I hope to see you back here in #Israel soon."

Congratulations to @BorisJohnson, who will become UK Prime Minister tomorrow. I am confident that under your leadership the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries will go from strength to strength. I hope to see you back here in #Israel soon @10DowningStreet pic.twitter.com/0U99gj8TwQ

— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) July 23, 2019

US President Donald Trump added his congratulations, declaring in a Twitter message that "He will be great!"

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also congratulated Johnson via Twitter, writing that Tehran did not seek confrontation with London.

"I congratulate my former counterpart, @BorisJohnson on becoming UK PM," Zarif said on Twitter.

"Iran does not seek confrontation. But we have 1500 miles of Persian Gulf coastline. These are our waters & we will protect them."

"The May govt's seizure of Iranian oil (tanker) at behest of US is piracy, pure & simple," Zarif added.

French President Emmanuel Macron and future head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen both congratulated Johnson on becoming Britain's next prime minister, and said they looked forward to constructive talks with him.

"First of all, congratulations to Boris Johnson for being nominated as prime minister. I'm looking forward to having a good working relationship with him," von der Leyen told a joint news conference with Macron in Paris on Tuesday.

Her views were echoed by the French leader, who said he hoped to work "as soon as possible" with Johnson, not just on Brexit but also other international matters such as tensions with Iran.

Back in the UK, British business groups were urging Johnson on Tuesday to take immediate action to secure a deal to leave the European Union that signals the country was open to enterprise.

Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the Confederation of British Industry, says Johnson has "no time to waste" in his first 100 days and warned him not to "underestimate the benefits" of a good Brexit deal. She says businesses need a "Brexit deal that unlocks confidence."

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He defeated his rival Jeremy Hunt overwhelmingly in a vote of Conservative Party members.

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He will be installed as prime minister in a formal handover from Theresa May on Wednesday.

The victory is a triumph for 55-year-old Johnson, an ambitious but erratic politician whose political career has veered between periods in high office and spells on the sidelines.

Johnson has vowed that Britain will quit the European Union on the scheduled date of Oct. 31 even if it means leaving without a divorce deal.

But he faces a rocky ride from a Parliament determined to prevent him from taking the UK out of the 28-nation bloc without a withdrawal agreement.

Several Conservative ministers have already announced they will resign to fight any push for a "no-deal" Brexit, an outcome economists warn would disrupt trade and plunge the UK into recession. Fears that Britain is inching closer to a "no-deal" Brexit weighed on the pound once again Tuesday. Before the announcement, the currency was down another 0.3% at $1.2441 and near two-year lows.

May stepped down after Britain's Parliament repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement she struck with the 28-nation bloc. Johnson insists he can get the EU to renegotiate – something the bloc insists it will not do.

If not, he says Britain must leave the EU on Halloween, "do or die."

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More than half disapproved of Corbyn's handling of Brexit. And 48% of respondents rated him as either fairly or poorly dealing with complaints of anti-Semitism, while 47% said he was handling such complaints well or fairly well, with 5% responding that they don't know.

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"While other political parties and some of the media exaggerate and distort the scale of the problem in our party, we must face up to the unsettling truth that a small number of Labour members hold anti-Semitic views, and a larger number don't recognize anti-Semitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories," said Corbyn on Sunday, apparently pointing fingers elsewhere.

He has led the party since 2015.

A full-page ad in The Guardian less than a week ago, bought by 60 Labour members, accused Corbyn of "allowing anti-Semitism to grow in our party and presiding over the most shaming period in Labour's history."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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But perhaps the more relevant example to what is currently happening with the coalition crisis in Israel is the double election compromise of 1974, which proved that a victor's determination can pay off if he is willing to take a calculated risk. In 1974, the British Parliament included 635 seats. In the election that was held in February of that years, the Conservatives – under then-Prime Minister Edward Heath – were voted out, winning 297 seats, compared to 301 for the Labour party under Harold Wilson. Wilson was named prime minister after the Liberals refused to sit with the Conservatives in a coalition. Interestingly, one of the main issues in that election was the conditions under which Britain would join the EU, which was then known as the European Community.

Either way, Wilson led a minority government that found it difficult to function. He sought a repeat election at the earliest possible date, and in October of that year, another election was held. This time, his party won 319 seats, which made things easier for him. In March 1976, Wilson announced he would be leaving politics because he was "mentally and physically exhausted." Some think that Wilson resigned because his doctor has spotted early signs of Alzheimer's. However, there is no doubt that the internal strife in his party over Britain joining Europe contributed to his decision. Indeed, history repeats itself.

There was a precedent for Wilson's determination in 1974. In 1964, he was voted prime minister for the first time, but Labour under his leadership at the time won such a tiny majority that it could not function. Wilson eventually decided to move the election forward, and it was held in 1966. His gamble paid off, and Labour won another 47 seats.

It is no simple thing to decide on an early election. Other than the 1974 election in Britain, it's hard to find instances of two general elections being held in a single calendar year. There are many examples, however, of leaders who decided to move up a general election finding that it boomerangs. But sometimes, a leader has no choice. The Wilson instances from 1966 and 1974 proved that gutsiness can pay off.

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